Almost Home, Country Roads
by scottishfae
Summary: As a newly graduated lawyer at the top of her class, Haruhi Fujioka has the world available for her. Then why does she choose to become a district attorney in the small, country district of Toohaku?
1. Chapter 1

Title:

**Title**: _Almost Home, Country Roads_

**Author**: scottishfae  
**Rating**: T  
**Genre**: AU/AR  
**Pairings or Characters**: Haruhi, Kyouya, Mori, Honey, Kaoru, Hikaru, Tamaki, Satoshi, Chika, OCs  
**Warnings**: AU/AR, OOC?  
**Summary**: As a newly graduated lawyer at the top of her class, Haruhi Fujioka has the world available for her. Then why does she choose to become a district attorney in the small, country district of Toohaku? New faces, and old, Haruhi is faced with new issues, new friends, and a new lifestyle as she settles into her new, country abode. Can she last in a district where all four, small towns are interconnected in the business of the other and where a handful of "eligible bachelors" have decided to vie for the newcomer's attention?

**A/N**: This is an ongoing story written for the LJ Ouran community: ourancontest. This is my first multiple chapter fiction for Ouran, and I'm trying to keep the characters as "in-character" as possible. I do feel, at this point I'm failing, and this first chapter may get rewritten. My goal is to have each additional chapter (all chapters will be "stand-alone" to some degree) be another challenge from ourancontest.

**Theme**: Haruhi Fujioka

--

Immediately she dropped her bags, looking around the large building with a mixture of curiosity and awe. When she had agreed to take the new job offer, including moving to a large, yet country town in the middle of nowhere, she had no idea that it would involve such…splendor.

Well, perhaps not so much splendor, but definitely living in a lot larger space than she was use to. Her family apartment was incredibly tiny, especially for two people. But her dad and she had made it work…

…But this was nothing less than incredible. She walked in further, looking at the slightly aging walls, the smell of decaying tatami mats making her want to gag, but still, it was a _house_. Four rooms on the first floor, two by two separated by a walkway to the back, and an upstairs with four more rooms. The front yard was small and overgrown, and the backyard looked to be just as overgrown.

She blinked, bringing a worn handkerchief up to her nose to try and blot out the horrible smell. She walked around carefully, listening as the floorboards creaked. The kitchen was old-fashioned but in fairly good condition, considering the realtor had said the house had been empty for almost ten years now. She smiled, her eyes lighting up with excitement. _Perhaps Otousan will want to come live out here with me_.

She dismissed that idea. He loved city life. Even with all the space she had found herself with, for an exceedingly cheap amount of money, he would never last out here.

"Hello?"

Haruhi jumped, turning around in the kitchen and walking into the hallway. Down by the door, where her bags were still strewn, was a portly woman with a kind smile. "Sorry, the cabbie was worried when you didn't come back for the rest of your stuff."

Haruhi's eyes widened. "My bags, excuse me," she said, bowing politely.

The woman waved her off. "Don't worry, I had my boys fetch the bags for you. The cabbie said you paid for the trip in advance?"

"Ah yes, I'm afraid that was the only way I could convince him to take me this far out from the normal routes."

The woman smiled and nodded. Haruhi walked down the hallway, smiling in return, and for the first time seeing the woman. Her dark brown hair was kept up in a traditional knot at the back of her head. A knee-length skirt hung from her waist and a long-sleeved shirt covered her arms to just past the wrist.

"Good afternoon," Haruhi said politely, bowing again. "I am Haruhi Fujioka."

"I know dear, the whole town does," the woman said, bowing as well.

"Not just this town," a boy said, coming in with a couple of bags thrown over his shoulder.

"Yeah," another said, slightly shorter than the first. "The whole district is talking about the woman from the city coming to live in podunk Misasa."

"Boys!" she woman admonished. "I apologize. Let me introduce myself and these little brats."

The boys whined at the comment. They put the bags down with the others and waited to be introduced.

"I am your neighbor, Kameko Tanaka. These are my sons, Hiroshi and Michi."

"It's nice to meet you," Haruhi replied, nodding her head to both boys in turn.

They beamed at her, shuffling their feet back and forth, eager to ask her thousands of questions. Kameko stopped the avalanche before it could happen. "Are these all of your things?"

"Mostly, yes. My father is going to ship a few more boxes of non-essentials, but for the most part, this is it."

"But, you don't have any furniture."

She smiled at Kameko before reaching down to grab some of the luggage. "I grew up in a small apartment, we didn't have room for any extra furniture, so there is none to spare now that I've left."

"Well then, we'll have to go shopping for some. The market in Yurihama is open tomorrow, we can go there and, at the very least, get you more tatami. These will need to be replaced."

"Obviously," Haruhi laughed.

"Hiroshi, Michi, why don't you help Ms. Haruhi out. Go around and take up all the mats and stack them in the backyard."

The boys grumbled in unison but jumped over the bags and ran into the first room, both uprooting the mats. All four of them soon were reduced into heavy coughing as 10 years worth of dust, dirt, and microbes were thrust into the air. Kameko had the boys stop and open all the windows, then put on masks over their mouths and noses, before continuing to rip off the mats. The two women walked outside to the front yard.

"So you'll be the new district attorney? I'm afraid you won't find a whole lot of work here and all just small things, at least compared to the city."

"I was aware of that when I took the job, but honestly, I think this kind of work is just as important."

Kameko looked over at the young woman, studying her with keen eyes. "Well, Ms. Haruhi, if you want to come and deal with small squabbles of farmers and small-town merchants, then you're welcome to."

"In all honesty, I thought this district might need me the most. Nationally, this district rates as one of the highest in wealth, at least of the districts without any major cities, but most of that wealth is distributed between four families and that is quite disturbing to me. I thought it was worth investigating."

The elder woman laughed, hiding her hand behind her sleeve-covered hand. "You can investigate all you want, but you won't find much. You're right, there are _five_ families in the district that contain most of the money, but the rest of us do just fine on our own. We aren't poor towns, nor are we left wanting for things that we _should_ have. Yes, we don't have all the luxuries those families have, but most of us are fine."

"Most?"

"There will always be grudges against people who have from those who have not. It's the way of the world, but you shouldn't concern yourself with those people. They're simply looking for an easy way out, someone to blame that their lives aren't as glamorous as others."

"Every place, no matter city or town, has those types of people."

Kameko stood, patting Haruhi's hand in the process. "Wise words," she said. "I need to return home to begin making dinner. You can send my boys home whenever they're done, or whenever you get sick of them."

Haruhi laughed, standing as well to look into one of the open windows. "I can't believe this entire house is for me."

"I'm sure it is amazing for someone who has lived in such a small place for so long. Though, we have many of very nice, eligible bachelors in the area…"

"Ah, no," Haruhi said, shaking her head. "I may be able to do many things, but dating was never one of them."

"No time like now to learn," Kameko said. "Since your kitchen is unusable at the moment, you must join us for dinner. You can meet my husband and brother at the same time."

"I wouldn't want to intrude—"

"Nonsense. I'll be expecting you!"

Kameko leaned into the house to yell at her sons to behave. They echoed responses that were too mumbled to understand. Straightening up, she bowed again to Haruhi before walking down the stairs. She was stopped by Haruhi calling her name.

"I'm sorry. You said there were five families with all the wealth, but my research showed only four."

"It's a common mistake. There is the Ootori family in Kotoura, the Suou family in Yurihama, the Hitachiin family in Hokuei, and then the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families here in Masasa."

"Two families here, how did I not catch that?"

"The Morinozuka family use to be servants of the Haninozuka but somewhere along the way, the two families intermarried and both retained lands and wealth. While they're definitely two separate families with influence and power…well, old habits are hard to break, aren't they?"

Haruhi nodded, noting the new information to be filed away with her existing research later. "The youngest son of the main branch of both families are in the same grade as Hiroshi. The heirs are around your age, probably slightly older. They're very kind people, if you'd like to meet them, I'm sure I can arrange something."

"Thank you," the younger woman said. "I would be grateful."

Kameko smiled again and turned to go home and start dinner. Haruhi watched her and called once again. "No matchmaking!"

She watched as the other woman began to laugh cheerily walking down the narrow street, just barely paved, into the house right next door. Haruhi turned inside to see how the boys were doing. Michi was sitting in the hallway, where there were no mats, and Hiroshi was still busy trying to pull a mat up. They had already cleared the upstairs.

"You two are really good at this," she said, going to sit down next to the younger boy.

A ripping noise preceded the tatami mat being violently taken from its holding spot and both it and Hiroshi went flying across the room. Michi started laughing hard, while Haruhi walked over to make sure he was okay. Dazed and confused, the boy stood, with the help of the young woman, and they made their way to the yard to deposit the last of the mats.

"That was a pretty fast job. I think you two need an award."

This perked both boys up and they looked at her expectedly. "Is there a convenience store close to here?"

"Everything is close by in this town," Hiroshi said.

"There is a grocery store about two blocks from here," Michi added.

"Well let me grab my wallet and we'll walk over there before dinner and grab something sweet."

"You like sweets, Ms. Haruhi?"

Haruhi ran in and grabbed her wallet from underneath an old, falling apart school bag. She thrust it into her back pocket and grabbed the keys. She walked out and locked the door. Both boys looked at her oddly as she did that. "No, I don't really like sweets, but I bet you two do, so we'll go get them."

The boys cheered and ran out of the yard to the street. She called them to wait up so that she wouldn't get lost.

--

Haruhi stood in the middle of the small room that was now her new office. Compared to her house, this place was exceedingly tiny. It made her appreciate the new house she had found.

"You're our new 'big city' lawyer?" an elderly man asked from the doorway.

She turned to look at him and nodded. "Well, it's nice to meet you. I hope you'll stay longer than the last one."

With that he departed. Haruhi walked to the door to watch him as he walked down the stairs and into the restaurant that was directly below her office. The smells of traditional, homemade food wafted up from both the street and the thin floors and walls of the building.

A small blond boy was climbing the stairs, smiling brightly. His attention was on a tall, dark-haired man who was walking behind the other. The two didn't look anything alike, but Haruhi got the impression that the taller was looking out for the shorter one, as family often does.

"Hello," the boy said, finally noticing her. He waved vigorously, smiling at her. The taller man nodded his greetings.

"Hi," she said, politely.

"Are you the new district attorney?"

"Why yes I am," she said, motioning for them to enter.

"Hello."

Haruhi caught herself from repeating the greeting again. She walked to an electric kettle kept on a dusty table in the corner of the room. She opened it, and wrinkled her nose. It would need washing before it could be used. "I apologize, I don't have any tea to offer you."

"It's okay. Ms. Yumi has good tea, and wonderful cake."

Haruhi smiled, knowing the owner of the restaurant below already. She had held the keys to the upstairs office.

"I'm afraid that I don't have any spare money at the moment, to purchase some of Ms. Yumi's food."

"Did you spend it all yesterday? I heard Ms. Kameko took you shopping in Yurihama. Did you meet Tamaki? I know he was really excited to get to meet you."

Haruhi shook her head, looked at the blond with a curious gaze. She knew the name Tamaki, he was the half-French, half-Japanese heir to the Suou family, much of the ire of his paternal grandmother. "I'm sorry, but who are you two?"

The blond smiled but apologized for his rudeness. "I'm Mitsukuni Haninozuka, but you can call me Honey. And this is Takashi Morinozuka."

"Mori," the other man corrected.

The last names instantly clicked for Haruhi, already having done her research. Except for the small blond who had called himself Honey. "Excuse me, you said your name was Mitsukuni?"

"Yes."

"Oh, I must have my information wrong. I was under the impression that the heir of the family was named Mitsukuni."

"Yup, that's me."

"But—the records show that…how old are you?"

" Twenty-six."

Haruhi froze, blank a few times, then moved over to her desk and sat down in her chair. "_You're_ twenty-six?"

"Yup, so is Takashi."

"But—you're…I mean, you look so…_young_."

Honey laughed brightly, walking over to one of the chairs in front of her desk and taking a seat. "I get that a lot."

Haruhi laughed slightly, still a bit dazed at the revelation. "I bet. So you're both the heirs of the families of this town? I'm glad you stopped by, I wanted to introduce myself to both of your families."

"If you meet one of us, you meet both of us," Honey explained.

Mori stood by the door, looking out the window and only occasionally looking over to where the two of them sat. "Is he expecting trouble?" Haruhi whispered.

"Nope," Honey explained, not hiding the conversation. "That's just Takashi. Plus, he thinks you're pretty."

Both Haruhi and Mori blushed violently and turned their heads. Honey laughed happily, swinging his feet in the chair. "You should come to dinner tonight! My cook is amazing, and he makes the best desserts."

"Ah, thank you, but I have dinner plans already."

"Oh," Honey said, his face falling. "Well, then, you should come now and have some cake. There is always some for lunch too."

"I really do appreciate the offer, but I really need to work through the day and get this office in…working order."

"So it's true…?" Honey asked, looking over at Mori with sad eyes.

"What's true?"

"You…you really don't like sweets?"

Haruhi was caught off guard and stood up. "Wait, how did you know that? I only told Hiroshi and Michi that two days ago."

"Small town," a new voice explained.

"Small district," the other corrected.

"Word travels fast," the both ended.

Haruhi looked over at the door where Mori had straightened to look down at two new people. They were identical, twins obviously, with only slight attire differences to separate the two from each other. Red hair caught the morning light.

"Hello," Haruhi said, politely.

"Hi," the two said, skulking in and prowling over to the desk. They circled her, looking her up and down, before declaring their interest.

"These two are Hikaru and Kaoru," Honey explained.

"Hiitachiin," Haruhi said, remembering the names. They were the only two children of the main Hiitachiin family, and it seems like they were a handful.

"What brings you over to Masasa," Haruhi asked.

One of the twins had sat her chair, while the other had taken a seat on her desk. The old wood of the furniture groaned at the added weight. Haruhi eyed it wearily, afraid that it would break.

"Masasa and Hokuei are close neighbors, and we'd thought we step in to see the newest addition to the population," Kaoru explained from the chair.

"You're much more…_drab_ than we were expecting. No glitz or glamour. You dress just like an every day commoner," Hikaru bemoaned.

Haruhi's face fell to a blank expression. She replied in an equally blank tone: "Geez, thanks. Now if you'll please leave my office."

Both men looked up and laughed. Kaoru jumped out of the chair to throw an arm around the woman. "What are you talking about Hikaru, she's _working_, of course she must dress in a style suiting a _country_ _district attorney_."

Haruhi picked up the arm around her and dropped it. Kaoru looked surprised as she walked around them to address Honey and Mori once again. They were watching the exchange with a mixed interest of curiosity and humour.

"I apologize," she said to the wealthy elite of Misasa. "But I'm very busy. May I ask you to come back later in the week, after I've had time to settle in?"

Mori nodded, taking the hint that was brewing just below her brown eyes. He and Honey walked over to the twins and each grabbed an arm. The two Hiitachiin knew better than to struggle against the pair and walked out with the others.

"We'll be back, Haruhi Fujioka," Hikaru called.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. _It seems that no matter the size of the town, the rich will always be more than just slightly annoying_.

She paused and looked at the now unoccupied door. _Well most of them._

--

It was true. They did come back, all of them and with extras in tow. Her office had been cleaned up, though it still needed a desperate coat of paint, and some new furniture. But then, so did her house and that was going to come first, she figured.

Haruhi was looking through some paperwork sent to her by the attorneys at the prefecture level. It wasn't anything vitally important, but work enough for her to dive into. She had set up her laptop on the old, rickety desk, a few pictures of her family, both living and deceased, taking up some of the spare space, and office supplies taking up the rest. Large, metal filing cabinets had been dusted and oiled so they opened easier. The contents needed reorganizing, again, a project for a rainy day. The table with the electric kettle was now clean and stocked with supplies for herself and for any visitors she may had.

She hadn't, however, expected so many visitors so soon. Especially ones who didn't need her services at all. She looked up from her paperwork to see a smiling Honey and stoic Mori. She waved them in, smiling slightly and standing. Before they could take more than two steps into the room, the Hiitachiin twins barged between them and into the office, followed by a blond, taller than Honey, and looking desperately envious at Mori and Honey. Another man walked in, more calmly than the others. He took in the room behind glasses, taking notes in a notebook he carried at his side. _This_ man she knew very well.

"Kyouya Ootori," she greeted, a hard edge in her tone that hid none of her opinions of him.

"Haruhi Fujioka," he replied. "It's been too long. And what pleasure did I have to hear that you would be the DA for this area. How…_suiting_ for you."

Haruhi eyes narrowed and she looked at him with spite. "Suiting or not, why are you here? I had heard you took a highly esteemed position in Tokyo."

"I did," he said, but didn't expound further.

The others shuffled uneasily at the two until the taller blond finally burst. "Kyouya!" he moaned. "Why didn't you tell us you knew her already?!"

Haruhi jumped at how high the man's voice reached and she shifted to look at him carefully. He, Tamaki Suou, she also knew, but only by reputation. It seems the last DA had left after his fiancé had left him…for Tamaki Suou. And the rumours didn't stop there. It seems, like his father, Tamaki had inherited the natural gift of flattery and charm.

"Hello," Tamaki said, switching from his childish behavior to a countenance that just oozed charm. It made Haruhi want to gag.

"Good afternoon," she said, walking away from him to sit back behind her desk. "Is there something I can do for you all?"

"Yes," Honey said. "Let's go eat at Yumi's!"

A little taken by the invitation, she looked at the group who were all waiting for her reply. "All of us?"

"Yeah. It'll be fun. We can all get to know you better."

Haruhi sighed. "And of course all of you are already good friends, correct?"

They all nodded. She sighed and sat back in her desk. There was no avoiding the outing. The district was too small and she would need as many friends as she could in such a close-knit community. She looked over to her mum and dad, taken years before she was born. They smiled at her, unknowingly encouraging her and giving her confidence. "Fine. I could use some coffee."

"Coffee? It's already afternoon."

"There isn't such a thing as a wrong time for coffee, trust me."

Kyouya snorted, withholding his comment and, again, following the group out of the office. He closed the door behind them, eyes on Haruhi as he followed down the stairs.

--

The group sat uncomfortably squished into a booth that should have, at the most, only have seated five. The twins and Tamaki had been wrestling for a position next to Haruhi, but Mori and Honey had other, more kind, plans for her. When they had approached it, Mori had immediately slid into the booth. Honey pushed her in next, he sliding in right after. Tamaki pouted and made a big show of being denied to sit next to the "princess," a comment Haruhi had felt rather insulted by. Ignoring the commotion, Kyouya took the opportunity and slid into the booth, leaving himself plenty of room, regardless of the table's size.

"So, Haruhi," Kyouya said, as they waited for their food. "What brings you here, _really_?"

"I was offered a job and took it," she replied, dryly.

She took a sip of her water, glancing outside at the passing people on the street. There were never tons of people out there, a fact that disturbed her. In the city, you were never without want for people.

"It seems like a poor position for someone who was so esteemed by her professors."

"And what about you? You never answered why _you_ came back home."

Kyouya's condescending smirk fell into a tight grimace and he dropped his questionings. The twins spoke up for him, however. "Kyouya's the third son, and the fourth child," Kaoru explained.

"But the Ootori family is known for being intelligent, devious, and ambitious and everyone, minus the sister, has left for jobs elsewhere," Hikaru continued.

Haruhi blinked filling in the rest of the puzzle. Kyouya wasn't the heir of the family, but if the other sons had left, then his presence over the estate was important. It made sense, though Kyouya's participation in such an antiquidated custom was not.

"It seems odd, for someone who was known for getting what he wanted, for you to settle for a life here in the country."

The conversation at the table, as small as it was to begin with, stopped completely. Kyouya looked at her, a glare from the sun hiding his eyes behind his glasses. "There are some things in life that can't be fought."

Haruhi's head cocked to the side, studying the man carefully. "Can't be? Or have you simply lost sight of the path?"

Tamaki smiled, hiding it behind his glass as he took a sip of his own drink. "Beautiful words, don't you think Kyouya?"

"Shut up."

The group, minus Haruhi, laughed at the expense of their bespectacled companion. Kyouya returned to looking outside, looking uninterested to what was going on around him, though Haruhi knew that wasn't the truth. In her experience, there was very little the man before her didn't notice.

"Ms. Haruhi," a voice shouted at the entrance of the restaurant.

Moments later a smiling Hiroshi was beside the table with two other boys. "Chika," Honey greeted, reaching over to attempt to hug the dirty-blond boy to Hiroshi's right. Chika, side-stepped the move and instantly dropped to a fighting stance. Haruhi watched as the other boy stepped behind and hit the dirty blond over the head.

"Satoshi," Mori said, making Haruhi jump.

The now named boy smiled and waved brightly. "Hi Oniisan," he replied.

"Hello Hiroshi, aren't you supposed to be in school?"

The boy beamed. "It's lunch time; our teachers let us out to eat."

"Oh? That's a nice convenience. We had to eat in our school cafeteria when I was your age. Or bring our own."

"It would be polite," Kyouya interrupted, his voice unusually clipped. "If introductions were made, as it seems that our newest residence hasn't met everyone here."

Hiroshi looked over the table strangely. He played with the end of his uniform shirt uneasily, fraying one of the hems slightly.

"This is Chika—"

"Yasuchika!"

"My little brother," Honey explained.

Chika crossed his arms, turned his head, and thrust his nose in the air. It became quite obvious to Haruhi that the little brother wasn't too fond of his elder brother, though for what reason, she wasn't sure of.

"And this is Satoshi, Takashi's younger brother."

"Oh yes…" she said, remembering what Kameko had told her the day she had arrived. "Well, it's nice to meet you both. I'm Haruhi Fujioka, a neighbor of Hiroshi's and the new—"

"District Attorney," Chika finished for her. "We know. You're all anyone is talking about around here. Though…from what Mitsukuni and Takashi have been going on about, I thought you would be prettier."

Both Hiroshi and Satoshi hit the dirty blond over the head. He moaned and cradled his abused head between his arms. "What? Girls with short hair are ugly. I mean, she could pass for a guy if she wore more manly clothing."

Kyouya laughed under his breath while Tamaki and the twins turned their attention to their two friends. "You two have been discussing Haruhi?" Hikaru asked.

"And you think she's pretty?" Kaoru continued.

"Wait—" Haruhi interrupted, turning to Mori.

The tall man was blushing and trying to keep his attention away from the girl by his side. "You talk? Like—_real_, long conversations? I don't think I've heard more than a sentence or two in either instant of our being in each other's presence."

Again Kyouya laughed. "It would be like you to pick up on that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Kyouya," Tamaki admonished. "Don't be so mean to my daughter."

The group paused and stared at the half-blooded blond. "What?!"

"You have a daughter," Haruhi asked, flipping through her research in her mind. Did she really overlook such a huge fact?

"Yes. Haruhi is my daughter. I've decided. She obviously needs someone to care for her in this new, unknown area, and I'll make it my life's goal to make sure she is comfortable and happy."

"No, thank you."

"But—"

"No."

"How can you say—"

"No."

The twins busted out in laughter at the sudden and quick exchange. Tamaki took up his water and pouted over it, poking at the surface with his fingertips.

"I have a father and certainly don't need a new one. Thank you."

"Do you really have a father though?" Kyouya asked.

"Yes."

"But can he really be considered your father?"

Haruhi sighed. She knew where this was going. If she had done her research on this area, certainly Kyouya had done his on her…and probably a long time ago. "Yes, he is my _father_ and I would ask you not to insult him…no matter what his hobbies are."

"Hobbies? I wasn't aware that Okama was something done as a hobby now."

"Okama?" Honey asked.

"My father," Haruhi explained. "is an Okama."

"He's gay? Then…how did you—"

"He once explained it to me that my mother was the only woman he had ever loved. When she…passed away…he returned to his normal preferences. He works as an Okama bar," Haruhi explained, giving a Kyouya a biting smile before continuing. "And he makes a very beautiful woman. Wouldn't you say, Kyouya?"

He hummed his response, picking up his tea and drinking it without rising to the challenge.

"So your father is really your mother?" Hikaru joked.

Kaoru hit him on the arm, trying to get him to shut up. There was an unhidden animosity between Haruhi and Kyouya, and he was curious as to how it would play out between them. "This is very interesting," Kaoru whispered.

His brother nodded, leaning closer to the other and watching.

--

Haruhi sighed, her head pounding. The sun was setting, she had bags in her hands, her briefcase shoved under her right arm, and four boys bouncing around her, carrying the rest of her groceries.

"In two weeks we're going on our class trip. It's to Nanbu in the Saihaku district. We're going to be camping, and hiking, and fishing, and all these fun things. You should come, they're looking for more adult volunteers."

Haruhi smiled down at Michi and ruffled his hair with her hands. The other boys were discussing "high school" things (i.e. girls) while the pre-teen rambled on and on about his school trip. "I would love to, but I don't think I could take off work so soon after starting. Maybe next year, okay?"

Michi nodded, hoisting his backpack higher on his back. "And what about you three, will your classes be having a trip sometime soon?"

Chika ignored her, as he had the tendency to do, but Satoshi and Hiroshi nodded and answered. "Our trip is to one of the islands off the coast. There is a resort there we'll be spending time at," Satoshi said.

"A resort? That sounds expensive."

"It is," Hiroshi answered. "But the trip was sponsored by the Haninozuka and Morinonzuka families, so we get to have extra perks. You should come with _us_ instead. We're actually going to an onsen, Michi's class won't ever get to do that."

Michi pouted, looking away from his brother. Again Haruhi ruffled the youngest boy's hair. "No thank you," she said politely. "I was never one for hot springs."

"How uncultured," Chika said. Satoshi promptly hit him for his rudeness.

Haruhi sighed when she saw home. She had a nice big bottle of asprin on her shelves that she was dying to dig into. "Hey, what's _he_ doing here?"

Haruhi looked at her front porch to see Kyouya sitting there, reading quietly. She sighed, this really wasn't what she needed. They entered the front yard, still in desperate need of pruning, and walked up the unkempt path to the front door.

"Kyouya," she greeted dryly. "To what do I deserve this honor?"

"Just a friendly visit," he said, looking over the boys. "It seems like you end up babysitting this bunch a lot."

Haruhi unlocked her door and opened it. Standing to the side, she allowed the boys to enter before her. They took off their shoes in the genkan, before running off to the kitchen to put up the groceries. One of the packages sent to her by her father was a new game console that the boys loved to play, though she was certain that they had their own at home.

"It's not babysitting," she explained, entering her own home. She called to him, asking him if he'd like to come in. He took the offer silently, mimicking her as she took off her shoes and walked into her home.

"This place still needs a lot of work," he commented, more to himself than to her.

Haruhi recognized the tone and chose not to say anything else. "Would you like some tea? Coffee?"

"Tea is fine, thank you."

Kyouya went over to where a low table was placed with pillows around it. He walked around the pillows to open the shoji screen to the outside. A cool breeze wafted into the house, bringing in fresh air to a house that still permeated with the putrid smell of disuse and mold.

"Thank you," Haruhi said, putting on the kettle and walking to sit a plate of cookies and crackers on the table.

Moments after the plate hit the hard surface, four boys came running in, grabbing the food, and going back to the living area where the TV and playstation were set up. "You feed the mongrels too, I see."

"Mongrels? Polite as ever."

"Kids aren't really my thing," he said.

The silence between them was awkward. An uncompetitive rivalry had always existed between the two and by the end of their university careers, they had nearly been at each other's throats. It was very weird, at least for Haruhi, to be near him again—especially when on his home turf.

"Anything interesting coming in the district, or are they still sticking you with the dregs paperwork for the prefecture?"

"You already know this, so why ask?"

Kyouya snorted, looking outside. "This is why you and I could never have a pleasant conversation."

"I refuse to waste time answering questions that you already know. It's pointless."

"Always so frugal."

The kettle began whistling giving Haruhi the needed escape from the current discussion. She prepared the tea cups, pouring the hot water over the tea leaves to steep. She brought a tray with tea and the needed accessories over to the table. "Would you like anything else?"

Kyouya shook his head, motioning with his hand that she should join him. They sat in silence, both enjoying their tea and listening to the catcalls of the boys from the other room.

"For what it's worth," Kyouya said, interrupting the silence. "I am glad to see you again."

The words took Haruhi by surprise and she nearly spilt her tea on herself. "E-excuse me?"

He didn't repeat himself, as Kyouya was known to do. Haruhi sighed, it was always so hard to deal with him. "It isn't unpleasant to see you again."

Kyouya laughed, taking a sip of his tea. "Blunt and inelegant as always. Thank you."

Haruhi chose to remain quiet. It was hard to distinguish his insults from his compliments, in most cases. Instead she concentrated on listening to the boys in the other room, barely taking note of the hot liquid that she systematically sipped at.

"There are bets going on, you know?"

"Oh?"

"To how long you'll be able to last out here in the country."

Haruhi laughed to herself, putting her cup down to concentrate on the man in front of her. "And how much did you put down?"

"And why would you think I would bet on something like that?"

She gave him a dry looked that spoke for her.

"Do you really think you could live so far from the city? You and your father may have lived simply, but it's completely different from living in the country."

"Is this really about my survival here? Or yours?"

Kyouya stood up slowly, allowing his shoulders to relax, as he rarely did. He walked out to the outside porch, looking over the backyard that had long since seen better days. Haruhi got up and walked to stand next to him.

"As always," he said. "You have very selective awareness but always intelligent insightfulness."

"Was I wrong?"

Kyouya turned to her, taking her shoulder so she too would face him. "No, you hit that nail on the head too."

"There are other bets going on about you, as well."

"Oh? Such as?"

"One is about what will happen at your first meeting with the "local" yakuza group."

"The Kasanoda-Gumi? I was wondering when they were going to be brought up."

"And another is…" he paused, looking inside the house before returning his attention to the woman in front of him. He pushed his glasses up on his nose, leaned forward and claimed her lips. He pulled back to see her surprised look, her hand coming immediately to her lips. "Of all the men who have already taken a liking to you, Ms. Haruhi Fujioka, which one will first be able to sweep you off your feet."

Haruhi's eyes looked up at him in surprise and her brows knitted. "It's not a game," she said in a harsh whisper.

Kyouya smiled his usual smile; one that hid its true meaning and left everyone guessing his sincerity of the given situation. "You'll soon learn, everything around here is a game…a dance, if you will. You just have to know the right steps."

"Sounds stupid."

Kyouya looked at her and nodded. "It is."

"Ms. Haruhi," Satoshi's voice broke through the quiet that had fallen upon the two adults. He ran out of the kitchen a few moments later to stand a little bit too close to the woman. He sent a glare that could pierce towards Kyouya. "Ms. Haruhi, do you want to come to dinner at my house?"

She looked down at the teenager and smiled. She shook her head and walked back into the kitchen. "Sorry, Satoshi, but I have a lot of work to do. I'll fix something simple and eat here. Do you know when you four are needed home?"

Satoshi walked into the kitchen, making sure to stay between Haruhi and Kyouya. "Oniisan will come to pick us up."

Kyouya smirked. He bent down to grab his notebook from the table. "I will excuse myself now. It's not a very long journey, but I still don't want to get back to Kotoura too late."

Haruhi nodded, putting down the pots she was dragging out to walk him to the door. She stood at the top of the genkan, watching him as he stooped to put his shoes on. "Be careful going home," she said.

He smiled to himself and nodded, not saying much else to her. "I will."

He stood, watching her, noting that all four boys were peering out of the living room to watch them. "Don't forget to kick the mongrels out if it gets too late. We wouldn't want our new DA to be sleep deprived so early in the game."

The boys protested, coming out in the hallway. "I'd like to see you say that to my face."

"Okay, you're a brat."

Satoshi jumped forward, fist ready to connect with a bespectacled face. It was halted by another hand and the younger boy found himself colliding with his elder brother. "Please excuse my intrusion," Mori said, his tone deep and quiet.

Haruhi smiled at him, bowing and welcoming him. She looked around to see Honey but found him suspiciously absent. Kyouya noted that fact as well and laughed. Haruhi frowned at him.

"Satoshi," Mori said to his brother, an unspoken warning as the younger boy sunk to the floor.

Chika kept his mouth shut as he walked down into the genkan and collected his shoes. He bowed politely to Haruhi and walked outside, not liking how crowded it was getting. The other three boys mimicked their friend and soon the boys were running around the front yard.

Haruhi watched as Mori shifted uncomfortably in front of the door. He would glance at her then Kyouya and then down at his feet. She decided it was unnatural to see the powerful and tall man slouch like a schoolboy with a crush. "Would you like to come in for some tea?"

Kyouya laughed. "Excuse me. I must leave."

Haruhi nodded, once again bowing. He returned the gesture with a nod of his head. He hummed to himself, mumbling about her being oblivious as he left.

"I have to get Chika and Satoshi home," Mori said, his voice low.

She understood. He had been sent on a task, as an elder brother. "Next time then? You can come over earlier, you know. I guess that is if you can be spared. Where is Honey, anyway?"

"The cook was giving him samples of tonight's desserts."

She laughed, nodding that she understood. From her limited time here, she already knew that the blond heir couldn't resist sweets. His brother, however, seem to hate them. She and he had enjoyed teppanyaki dango together, most recently.

"Hey, Takashi, isn't it time to go yet?" Chika called from the front yard.

Neither adult could see them but a thump followed by a loud groan told them both that Satoshi hadn't approved of the dirty blond's attitude. "Chika's so different from Honey," she stopped and looked over at Mori. "Well, I guess you and Satoshi aren't so very similar either."

"Not so different," Mori quickly interjected.

Haruhi cocked her head to the side, taking in the other man. Again he began to shuffle his feet in an obvious sign of discomfort. Her attention returned outside when she heard Kameko call for Michi and Hiroshi. "Looks like it's dinner time," she said.

Mori nodded. "We should be going."

"Thank you for coming over," she said out of habit. She added quickly, "You should come over more often. I never really liked a lot of company back at home…but I don't know, either the house is too big or the town is so small, and it's just…"

"I will," Mori said, not making her finish her thought.

She smiled at him, relieved. He walked to the door, pausing slightly as he watched Haruhi jump down and slide into a pair of shoes. They walked outside together. Chika and Satoshi were arguing at the edge of the property. They looked up when the two adults exited.

"Time to go?"

"Yes."

Mori walked down the stairs of the front stoop and to the other boys. Satoshi was waving animatedly. Chika nodded before turning to the street. Haruhi waved back. She watched as Mori turned around, stared at her, nodded much the same as Chika, then turned back to follow him. Satoshi watched the exchange then caught up with his brother. He immediately began speaking to him and Haruhi couldn't help but feel that in some way, the younger brother was scolding the elder. She laughed at the idea and turned to enter her home.

Walking into the living room, she turned off the TV and straightened up the area. Returning back to her kitchen, she sighed as she looked around. It hadn't even been a month…but this place was growing on her.

She did miss her father though.

--

**Legend:**

Otousan: Father, respectful

Tatami mats: Woven, straw mats, stuffed with rice straw and used as traditional flooring in Japan

Houkei, Kotoura, Misasa, and Yurihama are all real towns in Japan. They are found in the Toohaku district in the Tottori prefecture. _However_, the descriptions being added to these places are _completely fictional_. In no way are they being described truthfully through this story and none of the facts should be considered truth.

Oniisan: elder brother, respectful

Okama: Term, sometimes derogatory, used for homosexual men; most often men who cross-dress.

Onsen: hotspring, usually in a resort fashion.

Nanbu in the Saihaku district: Also in the Tottori prefecture but, again, being used as name only. Descriptions are only based in fiction.

Genkan: Traditional Japanese entryways where shoes are removed and stored.

Teppanyaki dango: Dango are Japanese dumplings made from mochika. Teppanyaki dango are served on skewers with a tangy taste and cooked on an iron griddle. Most dango are sweet, this particular type isn't over the top so.


	2. Chapter 2

The whistle of her electric kettle brought Haruhi back into the real world

**Title**: _Almost Home, Country Roads_

**Author**: scottishfae  
**Rating**: T  
**Genre**: AU/AR  
**Pairings or Characters**: Haruhi, Kyouya, Mori, Honey, Kaoru, Hikaru, Tamaki, Satoshi, Chika, OCs  
**Warnings**: AU/AR, OOC?  
**Summary**: As a newly graduated lawyer at the top of her class, Haruhi Fujioka has the world available for her. Then why does she choose to become a district attorney in the small, country district of Toohaku? New faces, and old, Haruhi is faced with new issues, new friends, and a new lifestyle as she settles into her new, country abode. Can she last in a district where all four, small towns are interconnected in the business of the other and where a handful of "eligible bachelors" have decided to vie for the newcomer's attention?

A/N: While the theme for ourancontest was eventually canceled for lack of participation, this chapter continued on with it.

**Theme**: Crossover (Ouran x Fruits Basket)

--

Chapter Two

--

The whistle of her electric kettle brought Haruhi back into the real world. It was late and she had been given back log work from other ministries while her own district position was slow. Looking over the jumbled, black and white pages, she understood why the tedious documents were shoved to the side to be done by someone else. If she had that option, she would do it too.

Putting her pen down, the young lawyer stood and walked over to her kettle. She turned it off and went about her usual motions of making tea. It was all second nature at this point.

"You're here late again," a voice said, causing her to jump.

The tea in her hand sloshed over the lip of her mug, splashing on her white blouse. Haruhi cursed under her breath. She slammed the mug down on the table and turned to glare at the man in her doorway.

"And what brings you here, Kyouya?"

There was a tiny half-bath at the end of the office and she walked past her visitor towards it. Grabbing a few paper towels from a dispenser, she wet them and began to scrub furiously at the stain.

"That'll hardly work," the spectacled man commented.

He had moved from the doorway to sit in one of the chairs in front of her desk, awarding him a perfect view of her from in front of the bathroom sink. Haruhi caught his eye in the mirror and narrowed her eyes.

"It's your fault this happened to begin with, you should apologize."

His only response was to quirk his lips before pulling out a notebook. He ran his pen across the page with practiced grace.

"And what 'observation' are you jotting down now?"

It was a habit of his, Haruhi had found, and one of the more obnoxious ones. He kept his written musings to himself though he had no problem letting you know anything that was just on his mind. It made her all the more curious about what exactly he wrote down.

As she expected, he didn't answer her. She continued to work on the stain, finally giving it up for a failure and making a mental note to soak her shirt overnight. Walking out of the bathroom with some extra paper towels, she made her way to the table to wipe up the mess there.

"I seem to be seeing you more and more often, is there any particular reason you keep showing up in my office?"

Kyouya looked up at her. He pushed up his glasses, smiling slightly at her, and put his pen back in the loop in his notebook. He shut it with a snap and zipped it up. "No particular reason," he said. "Though you do seem to be a topic of interest lately."

Looking over her shoulder, Haruhi sized up the man who was sitting nonchalantly before her desk. She wasn't sure what she felt about his statement. From what she had seen thus far, being the 'topic of interest' was not a good thing. People in towns of small populations seemed to be up in everyone's business and it disturbed her that she was being included in that nosiness. Not to mention that the local consortium of long married women were already dead set about finding her a proper husband. Haruhi shivered. While she enjoyed the company of many of those women, they were kind and cooked very well, she couldn't imagine what they felt were "proper."

The basic brown paper towels were now sopping wet with the split liquid. There was only one trashcan in the office, next to her desk, and she picked up the saturated paper and hurriedly crossed the room to dump it. She kept one hand under the mess so that it wouldn't drip on her nice, wooden floors. She sighed when she made it the waste basket without any more messes.

Kyouya was watching her, amusement clear in his eyes. "What?" she asked snappishly.

"Nothing," he replied though he didn't avert his eyes.

Heaving a big sigh, the brunette fell forward letting her forehead slam against the desk.

"You shouldn't do such things, it's unhealthy. People will begin to wonder if country life has driven you mad."

"You're driving me mad," she growled. Lifting her head a bit so her chin rested on the desk, she stared down at him. "Seriously, why do you keep showing up here?"

"You are, as you were in college, very interesting to observe."

The door, thankfully, opened before Haruhi had time to explode at him. She had always been very cool headed, something that won her high points in college, but something about Kyouya drove her to the breaking point almost every time.

"Ms. Haruhi?"

The woman in question sat up at her desk and smiled at the boys standing in her doorway. She motioned them in, getting up so that Michi could sit at her desk. He beamed with pleasure at having the nicest chair in the office. Not that it was much to begin with though.

"What brings you boys here," she asked, looking over at Hiroshi and Satoshi. On nights when the elder boys kendo practice went over, they often came by to walk her home. It was rare to see Michi here though, meaning they had probably come from home.

"Okaasan wants to see you," Hiroshi stated.

"Oh?" It was rare for Kameko to call her out like this. Actually it was rare for her to request anything. Haruhi looked at the stacks of paper still waiting to be done.

"Yeah, there are a bunch of moms over at the house and they wanted to see you as soon as possible," Michi explained. "So we were sent to fetch you."

"Plus kaasan says you shouldn't spend so much time up here. It's not healthy."

Haruhi smiled, reaching over to tousle Hiroshi's hair. She bent down to grab her briefcase, pausing to fondly kiss Michi on the top of his head. Satoshi shifted from foot to foot, looking off to the side with a blush staining his cheeks. "Well I can't very well refuse your kaasan, can I? But I can't let this work be left undone. Will you boys help me close up for the day?"

The two elder boys took off for the small storage closet, knowing the full routine by now. Michi waited in the chair, his legs swinging and hitting the desk. "Can you help me put things in my briefcase?" she asked him. He nodded enthusiastically.

The two of them started stuffing the mounds of paper into her soft, brown leather briefcase. She instructed the younger boy on how to correctly put the folders so they wouldn't spill out. He did so without much trouble, though he almost dropped a couple for their sheer size.

"You're very good with kids," Kyouya said.

"Thanks."

"I know you're an only child, but did you grow up around a lot of kids?"

"No, actually, I was a very introverted child. I guess I still am, in ways. I didn't have a ton of friends growing up and spent most of time taking care of my father…" she paused for a moment. "You know what, that's probably where I get it from?"

"I'm sorry, I don't follow."

Haruhi reached over and turned a picture of her father around for Kyouya to see. "I love him dearly but otousan was never the most…mature of people. I spent most of my life taking care of him one way or another, so I suppose he's just like a big kid, in the end."

"Are you not worried about him now that you've left? If I remember correctly, you lived at home when attending university too."

Haruhi smiled slightly, turning the picture around before turning to face the filing cabinets. She riffled through them, looking for nothing but hiding her eyes. "I worry over him a lot. We talk pretty constantly though but we have good neighbors who check up on him, make sure he's eating right, and many of his friends keep me informed."

Grabbing a file from the cabinet, she pulled it out to go through the contents quickly before putting it back in. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a tall, thin form press against hers. "You don't have to hide yourself from me."

"I didn't think I could hide anything from your observant eyes, Ootori-sempai."

He laughed quietly. "Falling back into old habits, are we?" he teased. Reaching forward he closed the cabinet, taking her hand that was pressed against the old metal. He pulled her towards her desk and sat her down. Michi had vacated the seat when Kyouya moved and now all three of the younger boys were staring at the scene quietly. Satoshi's eyes were narrowed and uneasy.

"Ms. Haruhi?" he said timidly.

She looked over at the boys and hummed. Satoshi shuffled his feet. "Um, nevermind. We're almost done here."

"Good," she sighed. Taking her hand from Kyouya, she glanced over her desk to make sure everything was packed. "Are you boys done yet?"

"Hai," they echoed.

Moving to the bottom drawer of the old desk, the opened it up slightly and grabbed a bowl of candy. "You guys know the drill, only one each so you don't spoil your dinner."

The boys ran forward to pillage through the basket, each picking one candy bar for their own. "Oh, I see," Kyouya said, writing again in his notebook. "You get them to do what you need through bribery."

"Shut up," Satoshi said, looking at the elder man defiantly.

"Satoshi," Haruhi admonished, putting the candy back in the drawer. She noticed that all three boys were staring at Kyouya angrily.

"We help out Ms. Haruhi because we like it," Hiroshi said. "The candy doesn't matter."

"Then give it back, if it doesn't matter. Surely _Ms._ Haruhi doesn't have such an expendable budget to pay to treat you all the time."

All three boys looked over at Haruhi in horror. It was her turn to glare at the spectacled man. "Shut up," she said plainly. The boys giggled under their breaths. "I treat them because they help me out. It's a trade in services, like any business, except they get candy instead of money. Now leave them alone."

She stood up and closed her briefcase. Satoshi reached forward and grabbed it from her, hoisting it over his shoulder to carry like he did his own school bag. She smiled her thanks to him while grabbing for her purse. "If you don't mind, it's time to close up, so everyone out," she shooed.

The guys, old and young, obeyed and walked out of the door. The younger boys stood by the door, watching as she looked around the office one last time before shutting out the lights and walking out the door. She turned to lock the door and Satoshi took the moment to flick off Kyouya who remained at the top of the stairs. The elder man chuckled, opened his notebook and jotted something down. Satoshi swallowed. This didn't bode well for him, he was sure. No one knew what we written down in that notebook, or what he did with it, but everyone was certain it wasn't for the betterment of mankind that he made his observations. Satoshi just hoped his father didn't hear about.

"Okay boys, you ready to go back?" She turned to face them. They nodded eagerly. Michi reached out and grabbed Haruhi's hand and she squeezed fondly. Nodding to Kyouya as they passed him, she kept her attention on the excited boys. He didn't follow, she was glad to note, but could clearly feel his eyes on them all the way down the stairs until they turned the corner in front of Yumi's Restaurant. It was unnerving.

"So what did your okaasan want?"

Hiroshi shrugged. "Dunno. They're having some kind of meeting and wanted you there."

"All the moms?"

"Yup."

"There were some new people there too, ones I hadn't seen before," Michi pointed out.

"Huh, I wonder what's going on then," she contemplated outloud.

"Can't be anything good," Satoshi mumbled. "Nothing good happens when that many moms get together."

The other boys agreed quietly as they continued to walk home slowly.

--

"No, absolutely not," Haruhi said, stamping her foot for extra emphasis.

"But Haruhi it's already been arranged," Kameko placated. "It's not that bad either. He's a very nice young man—"

"Doesn't matter," she replied. "I'm against this and I'm not happy that all of you decided to play matchmaker knowing my previous feelings on the subject."

"Now really, dear," one of the elderly women cut in. She sat in an honored position at the end of the table in an arm chair and blanket covering her legs. "This is a request from us, who, may I remind you, have been so very kind to our newest addition. You wouldn't want to throw that kindness back in our faces, would you?"

Haruhi fell to her knees and moaned unhappily. "You sly old bat," she grumbled, glaring at the elderly woman. If the old woman was offended by the comment, she didn't show it all. Instead she motioned for Kameko to continue, a smile on her face.

"He's going to be the new doctor in this area, but he's from this town originally. He is a slightly older than you, but he's a very nice man. Yumi can vouch for him, she's a cousin of his you can meet his sister Rin tomorrow. She's here visiting while he settles back in."

"I thought you said he was from this area, why is he settling back in?"

Kameko looked down at her tea and then over to Yumi who had joined the meeting, though was unmarried herself. "Hatori and Rin's parents died in an accident when they were much younger. Rin is older by several years and took off as soon as she turned 18, Hatori left later to attend university. When he left, they sold the house and everything with it."

A pit opened up in Haruhi's stomach as her instincts filled in the gaps. "Let me guess," she said dryly. "I live in their house now."

Yumi nodded. "But don't worry," Kameko butted in. "They don't have any ill will against that house, or any desire to get it back. So it won't be awkward."

"And Kameko's husband can vouch for their family," the elderly woman said. "He's lived in this house since he was born and grew up next to the Sohma family. I believe he and Rin were in the same class a couple of times, correct?"

Kameko nodded, her eyes drifting off to the side. "They actually dated in high school," she spoke quietly. "I can remember everyone being sure that they would marry; that he would be the one to keep Rin from leaving."

"But he wasn't able to and is now much better for that fact," Yumi exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood some. "And this really is getting off subject. Haruhi we're not really asking you to go on a blind date—"

There was a squeak from the hallway then the running of feet heard on the wooden floors. Kameko rolled her eyes, knowing that her boys had been eavesdropping. They had all taken to Haruhi since her moving in and she would have to make sure they knew not to mess with their plans. The boys tended to like practical jokes when things weren't going their way.

"Anyway," Yumi restarted. "We'd like you and Hatori to…hang out some. It's been a while since he's been gone and it would be nice to have someone that he didn't grow up with be around him."

"Think of it like the recent newest addition welcoming the current newest addition," the old woman piped in.

"And that's all it is? Just me greeting him, welcoming him, and asking if he needs anything?"

"Don't be so boring Haruhi," the old woman admonished. "He's a handsome, well mannered doctor. He was always a kind child and I'm sure you two would have lots in common. Don't be so cut and dry all the time. Get to know him, show him a good time and maybe he'll show you one too."

"I'm going to ignore the fact that you just made me sound like a prostitute," Haruhi said, frowning at the old woman.

"A little sex never hurt anyone," the woman fired back.

Many of the women giggled behind their hands. Haruhi turned a weird sort of green and shot off the ground. "No, no. I don't want to be hearing something…something like _that_ from…oh god." She ran from the room, hand covering her mouth, and out the front doors. Forgetting her shoes, she ran out of Kameko's yard and into her own.

Once there she slid down the front door, her hand still over her mouth, and tried to calm down. The old woman speaking about sex was nauseating at best, it was the panic and nerves of being forced into what could only be called a first date that was tearing her apart.

At a young age, the doctors had diagnosed her with a type of social anxiety. It had been advised that therapy to help adapt Haruhi to other children would be the best solution but her father would have none of that and they couldn't afford it either. Instead, they allowed the little girl to throw herself into her own hobbies, things that she enjoyed and was comfortable in doing, and then socializing her through those things. She still hadn't had a lot of friends though and never did she have a boyfriend.

"Maybe moving here wasn't such a good idea," she whispered to herself.

She moved her hand away from her mouth and down to help her push off from the floor. She wobbled a bit but used the door for support. Keeping her hand always on a wall (except when there was an entranceway), she made her way up the stairs to her bedroom. Sleep had never been more welcoming.

--

"Excuse me?"

Haruhi turned from locking her door to see a tall, dark-haired man with glasses staring at her. He had obviously been the one to address her. She finished locking up, grabbed her briefcase, and trotted down the pathway to meet the man.

"Yes?"

"Are you Haruhi Fujioka?"

"Yes, can I help you?"

The man reached out his hand to her. He was wearing casual clothes—dark jeans and an off-white turtleneck—though the clothes were still stiff…or he was. She got the distinct impression that he didn't often wear this type of clothes. She shook his hand, noticing the firmness. Looking into his face, she saw a very solemn, thin face. His cheek bones were noticeable, probably from one too many missed meals, and his dark, brown hair covered his left eye.

"Good morning, I apologize for disturbing you as you go to work," he said. "I'm Hatori Sohma."

Haruhi's eye went wide while she tried to plaster a smile that hid her nervousness. "Oh, Hatori-san. It's nice to meet you, I heard you were coming into town."

He laughed quietly, probably to himself, and allowed himself to smile. "I have the distinct impression by your 'deer in a headlight' expression, that the old betties of the neighborhood have set you up as well."

She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. Again he laughed quietly. The sound was deep but awkward—as if he didn't do it often. "Am I keeping you from work?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him. He pointed to her briefcase. "Oh, yes. I was just heading to my office."

"Allow me to walk you there then?"

"Hai," he said, smiling slightly.

Hatori reached down and opened the fence from the inside. Opening it, h e stepped aside so that Haruhi could walk through. He closed it before returning to her side to walk down the sidewalk.

"So you are the new DA? I had heard you graduated with honors from your law school, I can't imagine why you've come to this area."

An old lady smiled at the two as she came down the sidewalk. Hatori stepped off so that she could pass. She reached out and squeezed at the man's arm with a quiet "welcome back," and a conspirator's wink at Haruhi. The doctor laughed to himself as she turned red from the attention. He asked his question again when they continued on their way.

"I have some reasons," she answered. "And you? Kameko-san said you left this area pretty quickly. Why did you choose to come back?"

"I have some reasons," he answered in return. Haruhi rolled her eyes, glancing at him. His face was still stoney. "Bad attempts at jokes aside, I'm actually quite fond of this area. It holds…significance."

"Of your parents?"

Hatori reached up and played with his bangs smoothing them over his eye more. He nodded but didn't say anything.

"I lost my mother when I was young, though I was lucky enough to retain my father. The loss of one parent was awful enough, I can't imagine—"

"Would you like to go to dinner with me tonight?" Hatori interrupted.

Haruhi halted in her steps, surprised by the outburst. "Um, what?"

"I'm sorry. I'm…I'm not very good at being subtle but we are almost at your office," he paused to point up at her office. "I know the old betties are trying to play matchmaker but beyond them, ignoring them, I'd appreciate…someone to talk to."

Haruhi halted slightly, angling her body to look up at the man. "You talked to Kameko then, didn't you?"

"Yes, why?"

"She tends to have a…more reasonable mindset than most of married women who seem to find matchmaking their only hobby."

The doctor laughed. "It's been like that since I can remember. At one time they had all decided that my sister, Rin, and Kameko's husband, Kisho, were going to marry…of course, this was decided when they were seven. Rin was a tomboy, and Kisho followed her everywhere. I always got the impression that they found the idea laughable all the way up through high school."

"I believe most people would."

"You would think, but a lot of people take their efforts seriously."

They had traveled the course of the stairs together, stopping outside the DA's office so she could answer it. She opened the door, pushing it open and turning to invite him in. She, like him, noticed the street…or rather the people in it. "Well they could be less obvious," she mumbled.

"I believe we may have just supplied them with quite a bit of gossip," he replied.

She invited him, waiting for him to enter and the door to be closed before answering. "That was the point, right?"

Hatori sat in a chair in front of her desk while Haruhi busied herself with making tea. She looked over her shoulder to speak to him. "You want gossip of a possibly relationship between us as a shield, correct?"

"And how do you figure that?"

She turned towards him, slinking over to her desk, and turning the picture of her father around—the one with him wearing a lovely blue and white dress and smock. Hatori picked it up and studied it but didn't seem surprised.

"How did you know?" the doctor asked.

"Intuition, really. I guess growing up around gay men has had its affects on me. I figured Kameko would have told you to seek me out as a confidant in this area, one who would keep your secret and not judge you."

The kettle began to whistle and she walked over to the table to pour the cups. She smiled at him again when she served the tea and they fell back into conversation with each other.

--

The first thing that set off warning bells was the fact that Satoshi was absent from the usual cleaning routine. The second was how quiet Michi and Hiroshi were while helping out. Haruhi continued to eye them as she went about her business. The silence was broken by a light knock before the door opened. The young DA turned to look at the door, smiling when she saw Hatori there.

"Good evening," he said, quietly, looking at the other boys.

"Tall one is Hiroshi, Michi isbthe younger," she said, pointing at both boys. They mumbled a hello in return.

"Kameko and Kisho's boys," Hatori mused, stepping into the office and closing the door. "Hiroshi looks the spitting image of his father growing up, and Michi has some of the finer touches of his mother."

The younger boy threw down the broom he was holding. "Did you just say I look like a girl?"

Hatori blinked, putting up both hands to placate the boy. "No, not at all."

"I don't know, that's what I heard too," Hiroshi said, putting his hands in his pockets and eyeing the man warily. "You gonna let him get away with insulting a small kid like Michi, Ms. Haruhi? Do you really want to hang out with someone who makes little kids cry?"

On cue Michi began spilling out crocodile tears and bemoaning nonsense words. Haruhi rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you two. He didn't call you a girl Michi and stop playing up the dramatics. You two Hiroshi—don't encourage him."

Michi's tears slowly stopped as he looked at the unfazed woman. "But Ms. Haruhi—"

She turned around and gave him a look not to continue down that path. He shut his jaw with an audible click, slumping his shoulders in defeat. Hatori chuckled quietly to himself as he watched on.

"They seem to have taken a liking to you," he commented as he approached the woman near her desk. The boys went back to their volunteer duties, though they kept a wary eye on the man.

"I'm sure their curiosity will wear off eventually," she said with a sigh. "Though I'm sure when that comes I'll miss the help with closing up."

Again the doctor allowed himself to chuckle. "Can I help?"

Haruhi shook her head, thrusting more files into her briefcase. "You seem to have a lot of work for such a quiet district."

"Ah, I'm going over the old files."

"Any reason?"

Haruhi shrugged. "Mostly to get a feel of the area, but I also want to make sure everything…_seems_ right."

"No discrepancies, you mean?"

"Yeah."

"Found any?"

She stopped, looking at the other man. "Yes and no. There are things I'd like to investigate more, if possible."

Hatori smiled, pushing back his glasses with long, elegant fingers. Haruhi continued on her routine, putting up some files that wouldn't fit in her briefcase. She moved to the small table where she kept the electric kettle and other snacks and began cleaning up.

An unexpected knock had the room stop and silent. Haruhi knitted her brow and walked to the door. Hatori, sitting in front of the main desk, turned his body to see the door, while the boys came to stand across from the door.

"Yes?" she said, opening the door. "Oh, Mori. What are you doing here?"

The tall man looked anxiously around the room until his gaze landed on the doctor. A moment of silence passed as Mori just stood there staring, before he returned to look at Haruhi. For the first time, Haruhi could read him and he was definitely nervous.

"Um, Mori, is there something wrong? Please come in and take a seat. I can make some tea, if you'd like."

He walked into the office, looking around, and fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "Morinozuka-san," Hatori greeted cordially. "You've grown since the last I saw you. I hope your family is doing well."

Mori nodded, fidgeting all the more.

"Is Satoshi okay? He's usually here in the evenings."

The silence grew, and so did Mori's discomfort. Hatori stood, coming to stand next to Haruhi. "Morinozuka-san? What's wrong?"

The younger man looked anxiously between the two. He met Hatori's gaze, the older man recognizing the hidden aggression. Without another word, Mori stepped forward and cupped Haruhi's face with both hands. He r eyes went wide as she watched the man stoop down and kiss her. It was sloppy, short, and in-experienced but it left her lips tingling from the contact.

Hiroshi and Michi cat called in the background and Hatori laughed quietly. Haruhi stood still, frozen in spot. Mori, his face bright red, bowed formally, and then quickly exited the building. Hatori stepped out of the door to watch as the stoic man ran down the street.

"Wow, this place is much more interesting than I remember," Hatori mused.

"Wha-what just happened?"

The doctor turned back around to look at the younger woman. "I believe that you've just been indirectly confessed to."

Haruhi blinked a few more times before turning around and sitting at her desk, dumbfounded. Her fingers played with her lips.

"Let's finish up cleaning here, boys," Hatori announced, moving to finish up what Haruhi was doing. The boys eyed the doctor carefully but did as he said.

--

_TBC_


	3. Chapter 3

_**[Ouran] Almost Home, Country Roads Ch 3**_  
**Title**: _Almost Home, Country Roads_  
**Author**: scottishfae  
**Rating**: T  
**Genre**: AU/AR  
**Pairings or Characters**: Haruhi, Kyouya, Mori, Honey, Kaoru, Hikaru, Tamaki, Satoshi, Chika, OCs  
**Warnings**: AU/AR, OOC?  
**Summary**: As a newly graduated lawyer at the top of her class, Haruhi Fujioka has the world available for her. Then why does she choose to become a district attorney in the small, country district of Toohaku? New faces, and old, Haruhi is faced with new issues, new friends, and a new lifestyle as she settles into her new, country abode. Can she last in a district where all four, small towns are interconnected in the business of the other and where a handful of "eligible bachelors" have decided to vie for the newcomer's attention?

**A/N**: I apologize for the length of this chapter. I decided to split the material I had and the next chapter is already half written. I hope to have it out within the next week or two.

**Chapter Three**

Looking around the giant, traditional gates with awe, she searched for a door bell or something to indicate that she was here to the people living within the stone walls. To the left of the door there was a dragon's head with mouth opened wide. A sign below it instructed her what to do. In a rough kanji it read: "Stick you hand inside to be granted passage, only the brave shall enter."

Haruhi's brow rose at the rather...odd sign, but she stuck her hand in without any hesitation. The air inside the mouth was much cooler and a simple button was located at the top of the dragon's mouth. She pressed it. A orchestra of bells rung throughout the large property followed by yells, grunts, and general noises of pandemonium. Haruhi retracted her hand and took a place in front of the wooden doors again.

The giant doors slowly opened with a creak until they banged against the stone walls. Haruhi stepped forward, keeping her briefcase close to her body.

"WELCOME," the group of gathered men shouted. "TO THE KASANODA-GUMI."

The DA looked about, mesmerized for a moment at the sheer magnitude of the gathered group. They lined up in10 columns on each side of the walkway, all bowing to her as she walked down the path. Standing at the entrance was the current head of the Kasanoda family and his son, the head of the third generation, Ritsu. Kasanoda-oyabun* looked strong and proud as he overlooked his group. He stared down at Haruhi. "Haruhi Fujioka," he called out in a deep, bear-like voice. "What brings the new DA to my humble abode?"

There was some chatter from the men around her but that didn't stop Haruhi from walking through the courtyard. "I apologize for coming over unannounced, but there are some things I'd like to discuss with you." She smiled politely at him. Next to the oyabun, Ritsu shifted uneasily. He was only a few years older than her, she had read, but he looked much older than that. It took him a while to make eye contact with her but she made sure to bestow the same courtesy on him that she had on his father. Ritsu's eyes widened at the kind smile. His face was overtaken in a red layer. He slumped his shoulders tried to use his bright, red hair to cover his face. His father noticed this and laughed.

"Please, please," he bellowed. "Haruhi Fujioka you are welcome here. Come, we shall have some tea."

A small group of men scurried into side doors, while Kasanoda-oyabun beckoned Haruhi to follow him. She finished walking forward, up a small set of stairs, and around the porch. There was an open set of shouji doors that opened up to a giant meeting room. Three formal sets for tea were set out already. Ritsu was close behind her. The elder Kasanoda sat at the end of the room where floor seating (with a back) was ready for him. Ritsu sat to his side and Haruhi sat in front of him. She assumed a formal position, something slightly difficult to do with her dress suit on.

"Kasanoda-san, Kasanoda-kun," she began. "I appreciate your welcome today. I hope I'm not imposing."

"Baa, baa," the elder replied. "We here are always glad to welcome someone from the DA."

"Well...thank you," she said, slowly. "Kasanoda-san, I came to visit you after reviewing the notes of my predecessors."

She turned her attention to her briefcase and opened it. She reached in as a collective _woosh_ came tumbling through the room. Around the edges of the room stood the Kasanoda gumi men, all looking menacingly down at her. She stared at the ones nearest her, to her right, but paid no heed. Pulling out the papers, she sat them down in front of her. Kasanoda-oyabun was laughing jovially, motioning for his men to sit.

"You are a very unique, young woman, Haruhi Fujioka," he laughed.

"Um, thank you." She paused to reach into her case again and pull out a leather notebook that had been her graduation gift from her father's coworkers. In the corner 'to our favorite daughter' was stitched into the black leather in a simple, gold kanji. She set that down in front of her too, opening it and pulling out the pen held inside.

"I was noticing something very odd about the records we have for you."

The men around her began to snicker. "What is odd about it?"

"Well, I know that the Kasanoda-gumi prides themselves in being...well the 'underbelly' of this area..." she paused as laughter echoed through the halls of the old building.

"Why dear, this _is_ a _yakuza _establishment, what do you expect? We are the strongest in the area and have been for generations."

"Well that's just it," Haruhi interrupted. "Of all the notes and research I've been able to do, I can't see that you're doing anything _particularly_ illegal."

The laughter stopped abruptly and they all looked at her with threatening looks. Haruhi continued on, oblivious to the stares. "I mean, I'm not saying that doesn't make you _yakuza_, but...well, you're more like some of the higher class entrepreneurs of the region. In fact, I can see that your chief source of income is rental fees for land, and then you have some business dealings with various other companies across Japan. But all of the investigation done on your group shows--"

"Ms. Fujioka," Kasanoda-oyabun interrupted. "You obviously know little about _yakuza_."

"Well, not personally, no."

"Then I suppose our business with each other is settled."

Haruhi looked around to see the men and for the first time noticing the looks they were giving her. She pressed her lips together and nodded her head. _Perhaps they deserve some more investigation_. She gathered her stuff and packed them back in her case. "Well then, perhaps I should be going then. Thank you for your time Kasanoda-oyabun."

"Yes, and please feel free to visit us again. Perhaps next time without work in mind. There is a _matsuri_* coming up soon and my Ritsu would love to escort you."

Ritsu's eyes went wide and his face turned red enough to match his hair. "T-t-tousan!"

The elder Kasanoda spared him but a glance before focusing on the petite DA. "What do you say?"

"Ah, thank you for the offer, Kasanoda-oyabun. Isn't the _matsuri_ a couple months away? I really can't say if I'll be able to spare the time to attend. My work isn't--"

"Nonsense," he replied. "Do you have a _kimono_?"

"No, I don't."

"That's a shame. I'll send someone around to get you fitted for one. It will be suited for the date of a _yakuza _heir."

"That isn't necessary. I can't really afford one--"

"It will be my gift to you."

"I really can't accept--"

"Nonsense," Kasanoda-oyabun said, standing. "No DA has refused a gift from the Kasanoda-gumi. Don't be the first."

Haruhi sighed. "I really don't know if I'll be able to go."

He looked down at her. "You'll go."

Haruhi was taken aback by his bluntness. She was about object when he barked an order to his men. "Tetsuya, show Ms. Fujioka out."

A man, probably in his late twenties, came forward. He had long, sandy brown hair that was kept in a ponytail. His smile was kind and seemingly out of place with the rough looking crowd. "Hai," he said, in a quiet voice. "Please follow me, Ms. Fujioka."

"Ah, yes. Thank you again."

She bowed to the men in front of her then stood and followed Tetsuya out. He waited for her right outside the meeting room and then took her a place walking next to her. He spoke to her softly. "You're suspicions are correct."

She looked at him with a wary eye; knowing what he was doing for her was dangerous. "What is that?"

"That they aren't a corrupt, crime organization. Kasanoda-oyabun is a good man, and Ritsu-san is as well. It was why I decided to join them."

"So it's _yakuza _in name only?"

"Yes...and no."

He smiled at her as they reached the gate. The large doors were opened and the street appeared again. She looked at it, then back at Tetsuya. "Thank you."

"No, thank you." He smiled at her. "I do hope that you'll go with Ritsu-san to the _matsuri_."

"I really don't know if I'll be able to."

"Well try. He likes you."

Haruhi sputtered, her cheeks turning pink. "I don't know what you're talking about. We didn't even speak."

"Speaking isn't required to fall for someone, Ms. Fujioka. But I can tell he likes you. He's never acted like that before him."

"I just can't figure out what is going on with this place. It's so crazy," she muttered to herself.

"Like I said, Ristu-san is a good man. Don't let his gruff exterior fool you. Just get to know him," he paused, looking back as he heard his name called. He nodded to the man who had called him. "That is, unless the rumors are true..."

Haruhi's face went cloudy as she looked at the man in front of her. He just laughed. "Ah, I see. Well that's good to know. I'll be seeing you soon, Ms. Fujioka. Have a nice day."

He turned from her, and went back towards the main building. The gate closed after Haruhi and she walked quickly down the street, her irritation clearing showing.

"I think I understand why no one else wanted this job now."

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"So I hear things are calming down for you?"

Haruhi looked up to see Hatori standing in the doorway of her office. She was packing up for the day, frustrated as hell. "Yeah, just peachy," she mumbled. "I've got a date with a _yakuza_ for the _matsuri_."

For a second Hatori's face was wiped clean. "_Yakuza_? Someone in the Kasaonda-Gumi? Who? I thought you were interested in..."

The young DA threw her notebook down on her desk. It skidded, knocking the picture frame of her father off the desk. The glass cracked on impact with the ground. She flinched, her momentary anger fleeing her small frame. She was tired.

"It wasn't anything I had a choice in," she sighed.

Walking around her desk, she picked up the picture frame and stared down at it. Her father's face looked back at her, splintered. She sat down in one of the chair's in front of her desk. "You know, before I came here, no one really ever paid attention to me. What happened?"

The older man smiled. He walked into the room, leaving the door open. He chose to sit on the corner of her desk. "I bet plenty of people paid attention to you, _you _just didn't notice."

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "I think I would notice," she mumbled. Standing back up, she walked over to the trash bin and tilted the frame over. Some of the loose glass fell automatically. Carefully, she undid the metal clasps that kept the backing of the frame on. More glass fell into the bin as she removed the cardboard back. She threw it into the trash as well. One of the ends of the picture had been torn off long before, and Haruhi reached and grabbed that corner to pull the picture from the broken frame.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed, pulling her hand back, with picture gripped loosely between now bleeding fingers.

Hatori walked to her immediately. "Let me see," he said, taking the picture and frame, and placing it on the nearest flat surface. "You should be more careful," he chidded.

He carefully took her hand in his; gently feeling around the open wounds for shards of glass. "I can't find any glass," he commented, more to himself than to his new patient. "We'll need to disinfect it and then put a bandage on."

"I can to do that on my own."

Hatori looked up at her. "I'm sure you can," he began. "But, since I'm here, you don't have to."

He smiled sweetly to her, and ushered her to sit in her chair. He asked and was pointed to where the small first aid kit was stored. Haruhi pouted that she was being fussed over.

"The downside of being independent for so long," Hatori commented, coming out of the bathroom with a wet paper towel. "Is that you forget how to actually rely on people when you need to."

"I told you that I could do this myself, I don't need--"

"I know you can," he said, shifting down to one knee so he could see her hand better and still be able to reach the first aid kit. "But sometimes, you should let people take care of you. It lets us know that you like us." He winked at her, smiling. "Now, your hand m'dear."

He took it with a flourish and kissed it gently. His silliness helped relax Haruhi and diminish the sour mood that seemed to have been following her around for the better part of the day. "Isn't this a tradition in America?"

Hatori look up 'hm'ed as he continue to clean the wound, first with the wet paper towel, then with an antiseptic wipe from the kit.

"You know, they do it in the movies all the time, when the guy is going to propose to the woman, he gets down on one knee and takes her hand..."

"Ah, yes."

Hatori chuckled. He put the wipe on the table, next to the paper towel. "He takes her hand and then proclaims...'I love you, will you marry me' and the woman swoons--"

A smash interrupted the conversation. Both doctor and patient jumped. Hatori quickly stood and turned to face the door. Haruhi's eyes went wide.

Mori stood there, a vase lay smashed at his feet; water and flowers littering the floor.

"Mori, what are you doing here?" Haruhi exclaimed, trying to stand up.

She put her hand down on the desk, to help her rise, but forgot about the broken frame. The remaining glass shards cut into her skin. She recoiled her hand fast, clutching it to her chest as she fell back to her chair. She must have whimpered in pain because Hatori spun around to check on her. "Oh, Haruhi I'm sorry--I should have thrown that--"

He was cut off by a punch thrown at his jaw. He fell backwards, hitting the desk and spilling papers, office supplies, and the first aid kit off onto the floor. The frame fell next to Haruhi's feet and she kicked it under the desk as she stood. "Hatori!"

Mori spun around, facing the woman whose primary concern was for the main writhing in pain on her desk. "You can't!" he yelled.

Haruhi looked at Mori, never hearing him speak loudly before. "Can't what?"

"Marry him, you can't!"

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "Did you seriously just punch Hatori over _that_?! What gives you the right?! He could have been seriously inju--"

_Again_, Haruhi found herself surprised and lip locked with the tall, stoic man. Like the first kiss, it was sloppy but he put his all in it, trying to coax her mouth open--or at least to respond. The young DA pushed back against his chest. When they broke apart, Mori didn't let go. "Please don't marry him," he said, firmly, again. "Please. I love you--you can't..."

Haruhi's eyes widened. "Don't be so silly, you barely know me."

Mori shook his head. His arms moved to encircle her and bring her to his chest. "Doesn't matter. Since I saw you--always." He buried his face in her hair and breathed deeply. His entire body shook. Haruhi brought up her hands and patted him slightly. She winced at the pain from the wounds she had just given herself.

"As touching as this is," Hatori moaned from behind them. "I'm in need of some aspirin and cold compress, and Haruhi needs to get her hand checked out--possibly get stitches."

Mori pulled back and swung Haruhi around to look at her hand. It was still bleeding bad.

"Is your cousin at home?" Hatori asked.

Mori nodded, understanding. He looked at the other man, his brows knit.

"Uh-uh, don't worry about me. You pack quite a punch, but nothing that I can't sleep off. Take care of Haruhi, 'cause we know she won't take care of herself."

"But--"

Hatori patted the other man on the back. "Trust me, you'll get an ear full as she explains your mistake."

The doctor began chuckling to himself, before it caused pain to undulate down his long frame. He brought a hand to his head, another to his lower back, and slowly walked out of the office.

"I'm so confused right now," Haruhi mumbled.

"You're not really going to marry him, are you?" Mori leaned down to peer into her eyes.

"What? No. Definitely not."

Mori sighed a breath of relief. Using his slouched position to his advantage, he once again reached forward and claimed her lips. "Please, stay with me."

Haruhi mumbled something under her breath. Her hand had gone from stinging to throbbing. Taking her lack of response as a positive, Mori reached down and grabbed Haruhi behind her knees. He lifted her up deftly until he was standing full height, carrying Haruhi like a groom would a bride. "What are you doing now? Please put me down."

He shook his head. "No, it'll be faster this way."

"What will be faster?"

"Getting you to my house," he replied, as he stepped out of the building. He pulled the door shut with his foot before taking off down the stairs.

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**

*oyabun - is the title for the head of a yakuza group. I can't find any indication that it would traditionally be used as a suffix, as I'm using it (like -sama, -san, -chan, etc) but as some words are often made into make-shift suffixes anyway (Naruto-nii), I chose to use it like this--mostly for clarification's sake.

*matsuri - traditional summer festivals in Japan. Women especially tend to wear yukata (light, summer kimono) during this festival, but it's not required.


End file.
